Construction and Extraction

First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

Median pay
$79,920
Growth to 2035
+5.0%
Openings a year
67,000
Typical entry
High school

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers earn a median of $79,920 per year ($38.42/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 5.0% through 2035, with about 67,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.

  • SOC 47-1011
  • Construction and Extraction
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers in four numbers

Median pay
$79,920a year, or $38.42/hr
Lowest 10% $53KTop 10% $128K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+5.0%Faster than average
This career
+5%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+5%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
67,000913,300 jobs today
  • Jobs in 2025913.3K
  • Projected 2035959.4K
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 2025913.3K
Projected 2035959.4K
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
High schoolneeded to enter
  • Less than high school22%
  • High school20.8%
  • Certificate27%
  • Some college7.8%
  • Associate's11.9%
  • Bachelor's10.5%
Highest education held by first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
SegmentValue
Less than high school22%
High school20.8%
Certificate27%
Some college7.8%
Associate's11.9%
Bachelor's10.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: Coal Mine Production Foreman, Construction Foreman, Construction Supervisor, Electrical Supervisor, Field Operations Supervisor, Field Supervisor.

Pay

How much do First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers make?

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every first-line supervisor of construction trades and extraction workers in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$79,920

Middle half earn $63,400 to $101,460

10th
$53,280
25th
$63,400
75th
$101,460
90th
$128,260

All US occupations: $50,980

First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$53,280
25th$63,400
Median$79,920
75th$101,460
90th$128,260
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$79,920
Median hourly wage
$38.42/hr
Mean annual wage
$86,450
People employed
812,210

Versus all US occupations

At $79,920, First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers earn 57% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $28,940 a year.

Versus construction and extraction occupations

Inside the Construction and Extraction group, where the middle occupation pays $60,020, this is 33% above the group median.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $128,260 or more while the bottom 10% earn $53,280, a gap of 2.4×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.

Rank in the bank

This median pays more than 59% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Cost of living

Washington posts the highest raw median ($109,570), but once local prices are taken into account Illinois leads at $105,794 in national-average dollars.

Pay by state

Which states pay First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers the most?

State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.

Top 10 states by median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1Washington$109,570$102,38919,550
2Illinois$105,750$105,79419,340
3New Jersey$105,510$96,97216,230
4Oregon$103,070$99,7187,890
5Hawaii$102,630$93,3422,890
6Alaska$102,140$99,7862,690
7Rhode Island$98,590$96,3922,060
8Massachusetts$97,850$92,52318,330
9California$97,680$88,22371,750
10Minnesota$97,610$98,97513,580
See all 54 states, sortable, with cost-of-living adjustments

Job outlook

Is First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
+5%
All US occupations
+3.5%

Faster than average. +5.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers+5%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

Faster than average

BLS projects employment of First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers to change 5.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 46,100 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 67,000 openings are projected each year, 7.3% of the 913,300 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Getting in

How to become a First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

  1. 1

    Typical entry-level education

    High school diploma or equivalent

  2. 2

    Work experience in a related occupation

    5 years or more

  3. 3

    Typical on-the-job training

    None

  4. 4

    Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)

    Some preparation

BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.

What education people in the job have

O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers.

  • Post-Secondary Certificate27%
  • Less than a High School Diploma22%
  • High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)20.8%
  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11.9%
  • Bachelor's Degree10.5%
Highest education held by first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
ItemValue
Post-Secondary Certificate27%
Less than a High School Diploma22%
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)20.8%
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11.9%
Bachelor's Degree10.5%

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

The work

What does a First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers do?

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met.
  2. Assign work to employees, based on material or worker requirements of specific jobs.
  3. Coordinate work activities with other construction project activities.
  4. Supervise, coordinate, or schedule the activities of construction or extractive workers.
  5. Estimate material or worker requirements to complete jobs.
  6. Provide assistance to workers engaged in construction or extraction activities, using hand tools or other equipment.
  7. Confer with managerial or technical personnel, other departments, or contractors to resolve problems or to coordinate activities.
  8. Order or requisition materials or supplies.

O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.

Working conditions and hours

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery day
  • Outdoors in all weather

    NeverEvery day

    Outdoors in all weather at least weekly.

Physical demands

  • Sitting

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Standing

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Bending or twisting

    NeverAlmost all the time

Working with people

  • Contact with other people

    NoneConstant

    Constant contact with other people.

  • Face-to-face discussions

    NeverEvery day

    Face-to-face discussions every day.

  • Dealing with the public

    Not importantExtremely important

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day

    Meeting strict deadlines at least weekly.

  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day

    Handling conflict situations at least monthly.

  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

Autonomy

  • Freedom to decide

    NoneA lot

    A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.

Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.

Core skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Active Listening3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Reading Comprehension3.4
  • Monitoring3.4
  • Learning Strategies3.1
  • Writing3.0
  • Active Learning3.0
Core skills for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
ItemValue
Active Listening3.8
Speaking3.8
Critical Thinking3.6
Reading Comprehension3.4
Monitoring3.4
Learning Strategies3.1
Writing3.0
Active Learning3.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Coordination3.9
  • Management of Personnel Resources3.6
  • Time Management3.4
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  • Social Perceptiveness3.1
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Persuasion3.0
  • Negotiation3.0
Transferable skills for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
ItemValue
Coordination3.9
Management of Personnel Resources3.6
Time Management3.4
Judgment and Decision Making3.3
Social Perceptiveness3.1
Complex Problem Solving3.1
Persuasion3.0
Negotiation3.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Analytical or scientific software · in demand
  • Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
  • Document management software · in demand
  • Electronic mail software · in demand
  • Office suite software · in demand
  • Presentation software · in demand
  • Project management software · in demand
  • Spreadsheet software · in demand
  • Word processing software · in demand
  • Calendar and scheduling software
  • Data base user interface and query software
  • Development environment software

“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.

Personality fit

What personality type suits a First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers?

Interest profile

O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7

First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · Realistic: 5First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · Investigative: 2First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · Artistic: 1First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · Social: 3First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · Enterprising: 6First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · Conventional: 5
First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers interest profile
AxisFirst-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
Realistic5
Investigative2
Artistic1
Social3
Enterprising6
Conventional5

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.

  • Enterprising6.0
  • Conventional5.0
  • Realistic4.7
  • Social2.9
  • Investigative1.9
  • Artistic1.0

Closest MBTI types

NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.

Questions

First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers: frequently asked questions

How much do First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers make?

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers earn a median of $79,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 57% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $38.42/hr. The middle half earn between $63,400 and $101,460. The top 10% earn $128,260 or more.

Do you need a degree to become a First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers?

No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 27.0% hold post-secondary certificate.

Is First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers a growing career?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.0% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 67,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does a First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers do?

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers. A core O*NET task: inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Document management software.

Which states pay First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers the most?

The highest state medians for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers are Washington ($109,570), Illinois ($105,750), New Jersey ($105,510) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Illinois moves to the top at $105,794.

What personality type suits a First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers?

O*NET scores First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.